Noah Lyles‘ stratospheric success on the track has ensured his growing affluence outside. With a nearly $7 million net worth as of 2023 and a lucrative partnership with Adidas, the American athlete appears quite well off. However, Lyles has frequently voiced the underlying financial issues in his sport, which he deems troublesome. Recently at the NYC Grand Prix 2024 pre-match meet, he pinpointed the absence of a retirement fund in track and field, saying, “I know it is very hard for us to be able to save for retirement when we don’t have a 401K.” He had previously even stated that the sport isn’t “marketed the right way.”

And now, appearing in a YouTube interview with his sprinter girlfriend Junelle Bromfield, Lyles has outright expressed that the couple prefers their kids to opt for ‘different sports’ over track and field.

Appearing at the Fast Lane Lifestyle Show hosted by “The Powells”, the 6x World Champion Noah Lyles and his Olympic Bronze medalist partner made some bold revelations. When the host, Alyshia Powell, suggested a possibility, “So, some fast babies in the future?”, referring to the fact that the couple hail from the same profession, Lyles promptly replied, “If they decide!” 

Seconds after Lyles, Junelle gave a massive disclosure, “I say in the future I don’t think our kids are going to do the track.” Naturally, she was asked to explain such a somewhat shocking statement. To this, Junelle replied that she would push her kids “to do different sports.” However, the reason was exposed by Lyles, who cited the root cause: “Some moneymaking sports!” 

What’s more, Lyles even listed a few better-paying alternatives that their kids could explore like “Golf, maybe some baseball…” And Junelle seconded him saying, “I mean if they ask to do track and field in the future and it’s their passion, then yeah. But, I want them to try golf, tennis, baseball, everything before track and field.” 

The athletes obviously want their kids to choose a vocation that sustains them for life, mainly financially. Therefore, they wish for their children to have multiple options before they narrow down to a career preference. And centered on their experiences, they seem disinclined towards believing that track and field can be a good-earning discipline. Not just them, in fact, many have echoed this opinion in the recent past, mounting serious questions about the sport’s future.

Is track and field descending to the bottom?

The contemporary track world has withstood the extremes, to say the least. Recently, Josh Kerr, a middle-distance runner who bagged $40,000 at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, called the track community to increase the influx of investors in the sport. “That seems crazy versus other sports,” said the athlete who demanded that greater financial incentive for track and field participants.

The NYC Grand Prix 1500m runner-up Eric Holt had also surfaced similar concerns. “I lose money in this sport, I don’t gain money” stated the sprinter, who disclosed his adversity because of lack of sponsorship. Evidently, the event prize purses aren’t sufficient for all participants.

Previously, Rori Dunk had cited the example of the 2023 World Championship in Budapest, noting how out of the $8.5 million earmarked as payouts for the players, only the top finishers take back an adequate amount. Whereas, athletes who come eighth, for example, receive a mere $8,000, grossly insufficient for their participatory expenses. Michael Johnson seconded this stance by expressing disapproval of the “Little money shared by thousands of athletes.” 

Miles away from the league of popular sports like the NBA, track and field also experiences frequent plunges in its viewership. This adds to the uncertainty of investments and consequently the payout disparity compared to other sports. However, the World Athletics is attempting to curb it. In an epoch-making decision, the federation has announced prize money of $50,000 for gold winners at the Paris Olympics.

Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go. And naturally, luminaries like Lyles and Junelle who have experienced it first-hand will need to see evident progress for them to modify their perspectives. What do you think of their stand?